Skip to content

Revamping an historic cemetery (1999)

News Story:

Tom LeGore, a volunteer, and Maryland State Police 1st Sgt. Dean Richardson of the Westminster Barracks use lawn trimmers to cut grass in the overgrown Ellsworth Cemetery on Leidy Road In Westminster.

Graves in the historic, all-black cemetery date back to around the Civil War and contain the remains of former slaves and veterans of several wars. Volunteers from the community and Union Memorial Baptist Church in Westminster, which oversees the grounds, hope to remount, repair or replace damaged or missing headstones. An updated map of the cemetery is also being created using satellite technology.

The groups hope the cemetery — once restored — will be added to state and federal lists of historic places.

Document